Free Possession by Elana Johnson

father would’ve wanted you to be free.” Her words sounded rehearsed, but she’d just given me the label I craved: free. But if being free meant leaving Jag, I couldn’t do it.
    Choices, choices.
The voice mocked me now. In my mind, I saw the Thinker, with those dark lenses hiding his eyes. Acruel smile graced his features. He clearly controlled the situation. The Goodgrounds. The Hawk. Everyone and everything.
    But not me. And not Jag.
    Jag rolled over, with the tiniest curve in his lips. I ground my teeth and thrust my elbow back, right into the Hawk’s beak.
    She staggered backward. I grabbed Jag’s arm and hauled him to his feet. I half-dragged him through the fields between the two terraces and up the steps on the other side. I didn’t turn back until we made it to the top. The silver Hawk was on her feet, searching for the taser.
    Like I was going to wait and see if she found it.
    I ran. More like stumbled. In my delirious I’ve-lost-too-much-blood state, I didn’t know Jag had stopped until he called my name.
    I turned too fast and fell down. As far as I was concerned, it would be fine to stay there for the rest of my life. Something cold touched my head and probed in my hair. I faded out as Jag dabbed at the blood with a cloth. Then he said my name in his soothing voice. It sounded so restful, so calm.
    “Don’t,” I slurred. “I’ll fall asleep.”
    He stopped talking. When I opened my eyes, I wished I’d kept them closed.
    “You look awful,” I said. Blood oozed down his face and dripped off his jaw. He wiped it with the piece of cloth—one of his sleeves he’d ripped off.
    Even though his face was smeared with blood—probably mine and his—it caused my stupid heart to pump a little faster.
    “Come on,” he said. “We can’t stop here.”
    We clung to each other as we made our way toward the Fire Region. I thought it odd that hovercopters weren’t circling but didn’t say anything. Maybe They would just let us go. After all, I was tagged. They could find me easily if They wanted to. At least until we made it to the Fire Region and the heat obscured the signature in the tag.
    The sun had crested the mountains when we came upon a lonely farmhouse in the middle of a rolling wheat field. I collapsed against the bricks, my breath burning on the way in and out. Jag unrolled a hose and sprayed himself down, yelping and dancing around in the cold water.
    I wanted to laugh because he looked like such an idiot, but the thought of it made my insides hurt. When he turned the hose on me, the burning in my lungs wasn’t my biggest problem.
    “Hey!” The water ran red, sickening me. After my “shower,” Jag traced his finger along my hairline.
    “Not my hair,” I said dryly.
    He chuckled in his soft, sexy way. “Of course it’s ruined, but it’s this gash that concerns me.”
    “You don’t look so great yourself.” A long cut ran behind his left ear.
    He nodded toward the back door. “You up for some rule-breaking?”
    “Always,” I said. “I’ll get food and first aid. You get clothes, okay?”
    Jag moved up the stairs and paused next to the door, peeking inside to assess the situation. He reminded me so much of Zenn, the way he took the lead, the way he seemed to have a plan for everything.
    “All clear. I think this guy must already be working in the fields.” Jag cracked the door and slipped into the house. Unlike Zenn, he didn’t wait for me to follow, and I entered the kitchen to find it empty. I couldn’t even hear Jag’s footsteps—the guy had broken into houses before.
    I collected the first aid kit from its regulated place under the kitchen sink. After checking it to make sure it was fully stocked, I grabbed two handfuls of protein packets and shoved them in the foil bag with the medical supplies.
    The farmer didn’t have any dehydrated food, so I took two bottles of water and retreated to the back porch to waitfor Jag. He emerged seconds later with a backpack, and I